Sensibly Trivial
by Fruit-Sexual
Summary: And Sophie did grow to understand, just as her father promised. There were many different types of love in the world, wasn't there? Events and instances in life to help shape a person to grow.


Disclaimer: No rights to anything, just having some fun.

Sophie's earliest memory involved her scampering, rather loudly she regrettably admits, about her family hat shop. Certain details always remain out of her reach: her exact age, the color of her small dress, if the antique lamp was actually considered an antique yet. These facts didn't particularly bother her. She knew she was quite young in the memory, a toddler no older than two or three years. The important things she did remember were that her father was watching her with a smile, ever cautious that she would not run into something and hurt herself, and that her stepmother was within sight and ear shot.

Her father, Jonathan Briggs Hatter, possessed that hat shop that was Sophie's entire world for as long as she could remember. When she inquired, he happily explained that he traveled to Market Chipping as a young man with nothing tied to him aside from his weathered belt upon his waist and the laces on his shoes. He had little money and had to work in many undesirable jobs for many undesirable years to build his funds. Even as a youngster, Sophie knew this to be true when she looked upon her father's hands. They were hard, the skin rough and callused with crosshatches of scars all upon them. Despite that, they were good hands; strong hands that could do everything from lift splintering wooden crates or to catch butterflies on the flowers by the windowsill.

Little Sophie, ever curious, asked her father if he always wanted to open a hat shop when he was working to make funds. Mr. Hatter would laugh loudly as he ruffled her brown locks as she sat upon his knee. He would proudly state he hadn't a clue what he wanted to do when he finally bought the building. He knew he had to open a store of some sort, but the question was what would his wares be?

He explained to his young daughter that in the days he took to decide on his business, he would travel out to the barren grass and rock wastelands on the edge of the town. He was drawn to them and the promise they held of witches, wizards, and roaming beasts large enough to swallow a man whole. Sophie never understood that notion. Why go to a place with such scary things? Magic was full of tricks and backward deals, just like the people who wielded such power.

Mr. Hatter only laughed in his kind way and explained, 'Perhaps, but what is the worth of something if you don't have to overcome a challenge for it?'

Upon the tall dry bristle weeds and stones, Mr. Hatter came across a young woman picking wild flowers to place in the wicker basket she cradled on the crook of her arm. With high spirit and a warm smile, she asked what he came to the wastelands for? When he explained his current situation, the woman merely laughed simply told him to sell hats! After all, everyone needed a hat upon their head to keep them dry in the rain and shaded in the sun. Plus, his last name already designated it for him.

And who was he to argue against such wise and valid points?

So, with his gold enamel in hand, he proudly painted "Hatter's Hat Shop" upon the clean glass of the front windows.

It did not take Sophie long to realize the spirited girl with the flower basket from the story was her mother: her birth mother. Sophie was always a clever child and would delicately ask her loving papa of the woman who as much created their well-known hat shop as much as he. At first, she thought it strange how he always seemed rather vague at such times, considering the man was known to love a good story, especially if he got to tell it. But, her papa was a truthful man and would give his loving daughter the straight facts when she asked it of him. It wasn't until she was older did she realize he was very deliberate in his way of doing things however. If Sophie were ever to inquire about the woman who gave her life, Mr. Hatter would always gesture her to lower her voice as he looked about the room. If her stepmother was not present in hearing range, he would calmly and quietly answer her question in a straightforward manner. These were the only times Sophie ever learned of the faceless, voiceless woman.

At this, Sophie worriedly began to wonder if, perhaps, her gentle-eyed papa was not properly in love with the woman who gave birth to her. While she had no doubt that he loved her genuinely as any father could love his child, the idea made her a touch sad that he did not feel the same for something that was also a piece of her. Sensing the turmoil growing in her heart like a bristling weed, Mr. Hatter calmly lifted his oldest daughter upon his lap one night when it was just the two of them. He calmly explained that Sophie should not worry herself of such things. She was young and should be worrying about what she would like for her upcoming Name Day. Despite the seeming brush off, Mr. Hatter took her small chin in his rough padded fingers and the same shade of brown orbs met. He told her calmly that he did love his first bride very much and was very pained to see her part from the world. He also explained that he loved his current bride just as much, as well as Sophie and her younger sibling.

Mr. Hatter always knew his eldest was a quick-witted girl, but he wasn't surprised to see confusion upon her soft features. He laughed quietly, a comforting sound Sophie eagerly wrapped herself in like a blanket. He ruffled her bangs and shifted his weighted knee as he calmly explained that there were many types of love in the world.

"Like the flowers we receive to decorate the hats- love comes in many shapes, colors, scents, and touches. Regardless, it is still love, and no less precious."

When his child still hinted confusion, Mr. Hatter only laughed softly and hefted her to her feet on the carpet before explaining that she'd understand one day. With a gentle touch, he shooed her off to get ready for bed.

While his love for Sophie's birth mother was genuine, so was the love of his current wife, Honey. Mr. Hatter never liked to bring up his first bride in front of his family, knowing it was not fair to any of them. It was a terrible thing to feel like a replacement, and he would not do that to his bright, bubbly wife who tried her best for all of them, even if she was a bit awkward concerning family matters and seemed a bit too preoccupied with fashion than he'd liked.

This even applied to the children. While Lettie, the youngest, was Honey's legitimate child, she did not need confusion placed upon her young shoulders with talk of other wives and re-marriages. While bubbly like her mother, she was still gentle and innocent.

Sophie, not surprisingly, had no memory of her own legitimate mother. Illness had ravaged the young woman shortly after Sophie's birth. Neither blamed innocent little Sophie as such tragedies were rather commonplace. Despite her growing weakness, she held herself for an entire year, determined to enjoy and love her child with all that she could. Mr. Hatter couldn't have been more grateful, or more heartbroken.

With his first child so young and needing, and he, rather un-maternal, running a still new business, sought aid from one of his younger employees. Despite never having dealt with children, Honey threw herself into the task if only to please he dashing employer. While she wasn't the shining example of maternal grace, she was kind to infant Sophie and the fretted father and tried as best as she could. It only made sense to make things permanent, if only for Sophie's sake, and it was quite easy for two kind people to find comfort in one another.

Honey was the only mother Sophie ever properly knew. Despite incidents and a few misgivings he had originally, it could not be argued that Sophie saw Honey as anything otherwise. Such a thing, and seeing his new wife genuinely love his daughter, Mr. Hatter could not in good conscious bring up his first wife in her presence. But, he was a good man in many aspects, and Sophie remembered how he would take a day trip to the farthest reaches of town to the cemeteries, every year on a certain date in April. Even after many years passed and many events occurred: Lettie being born, his children blossoming into young bright women, Mr. Hatter never pushed off his trip every April.

And Sophie did grow to understand, just as Mr. Hatter promised. The world was indeed full of so many types of love. It took her many years to grasp it, but she looked back upon her earliest memory and knew that she had a papa...and a mother… and a sister …and a home filled with all different colored flowers of love.

As such, she surmised, she would have to keep her heart open and aware if she were to be able to hold onto them all.

Author's Notes: Sorry if there are lots of mistakes or it's wonky. I have no beta and don't really plan to get one. I'll be bluntly honest, I'm not a writer and have no desire to be one, it's just for fun.

I'm not sure how far I plan to takes these or their structure, since I do intend for some to be thought based like this one and others to be a more typical story with speaking and action of multiple characters. Im assuming most with be Sophie/Hatter family based but we'll see how it goes.

Some may remember or atleast notice that I have another HMC story, seemingly abandoned. Well to be honest, as life reared up I honestly forgot about it and it was pointed out to me semi recently. After reading it over, and not liking that I just dumped it so into the start, I'm honestly going to try and get it going again. Which is what spurred this, since many of these pieces have to do with characters and events that take place but are related to the other story. You don't need to read either to understand the other but they give more insight, or atleast that's what I plan.

I'm trying to do things properly concerning the other story so I've been plotting it out hardcore, unlike just writing chapter by chapter like I used to as a young writer. If I have everything planned and set, it should be easy to just move along since I technically wont have an excuse for writer's block lol. But I do have a busy life compared to 6 years ago, but the way I see it, you only live once so…chim chim cheru.


End file.
